Screening 1 - Friday 6 May at 7:30 pm
(Double session)

FRIDAY: Session 1

South Solitary

Australia 2010 116 mins Drama (M) Dir: Shirley Barrett

This drama (with flashes of humour) is set in 1927 on an island off the coast of Australia, where a young woman with a troubled past (Miranda Otto) arrives to assist her prissy, autocratic uncle (Barry Otto in fine form). The pacing is leisurely, but the film's tender subtle approach is quietly enchanting.

David Stratton Weekend Australian

FRIDAY: Late Session, 10:30 pm

Louise-Michel

France 2009 94 mins Black comedy (M) Wr/Dir: Benoit Delepine & Gustave Kervern

After being laid off, a group of female factory workers pool their funds to take out a professional contract on their boss. Louise (Yolande Moreau) hires Michel (Bouli Lanners) for the hit. A mad, wild and very black French comedy filled with ingeniously shocking sight gags. Stay for the sequence after the credits end.

Tom Ryan Sunday Age

Screening 2 - Saturday 7 May at 9.00am

FOOD, Inc.

USA 2010 94 mins Documentary (M) Dir: Robert Kenner

This veteran documentary maker gives an alarming rundown on what has become of food production in an era of hyper-capitalism, including scarifying glimpses into "meat factories", as well as commentary from the likes of Fast Food Nation's Eric Schlosser.

Jake Wilson The Age

Screening 3 - Saturday 7 May at 11:00am

Mother

Sth Korea 2010 129 mins Drama (MA)

Dir: Bong Joon-ho

This thriller from the maker of The Host is about another unstoppable force - an elderly woman ready to do whatever it takes to see her slow-witted son freed from a murder charge. This is a triumph of storytelling - suspenseful, full of brilliantly timed gags and finally very touching in its own perverse way.

Jake Wilson The Age

Screening 4 - Saturday 7 May at 4:00pm

Sarah's Key

France 2010 111 mins Drama (M)

Dir: Giles Paquet-Brenner

In Paris in 2009, an American-born woman (Kristen Scott Thomas) delves into the story of the round-up of French Jews in 1942. Her deepening concern about an apartment owned by her French husband's family leads in dramatic and moving directions, both past and present.

Philippa Hawker The Age

Screening 5 - Saturday 7 May at 8.00pm

Me & Orson Wells

USA 2010 113 mins Comedy (PG)

Dir: Richard Linklater

This gorgeously entertaining film is about Orson Welles and his landmark production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at New York's Mercury Theatre in 1937. It can be enjoyed for many things: its wit, high spirits, memorable characters, romantic subplots and nostalgia. Above all, it's an homage to theatre, the art of acting, Shakespeare and New York.

Evan Williams Weekend Australian